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Control of Royal Dutch Shell companies in Nazi-occupied Europe

screen-shot-2016-10-24-at-14-26-11EBOOK BY JOHN DONOVAN: SIR HENRI DETERDING AND THE NAZI HISTORY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

Chapter 14: Control of Royal Dutch Shell companies in Nazi-occupied Europe

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Hauptmann Eckhardt von Klass

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Hauptmann Eckhardt von Klass (seated)

The Nazis presented considerable challenges to Royal Dutch Shell over control of its subsidiaries in occupied countries. The above caricature (and seated Nazi officer) is a former Shell director, Hauptmann Eckhardt von Klass, the Verwalter (administrator) appointed by the Nazis to “exercise supervision over Group companies in occupied Europe.” See pages 80 and 81 from RDSH V2.

Before, during, and after World War 2, Royal Dutch Shell was the owner of companies located in Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe, including Rhenania-Ossag.

screen-shot-2016-10-29-at-14-15-06With the aid of Rhenania-Ossag in a small but vital capacity, preparations for war had proceeded at a feverish pace leading up to the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.  Germany used forced slave labor in that period.

There is evidence confirming that Royal Dutch Shell companies in Germany used slave labor before and during World War 2.

The Group was certainly responsible for forced labor at German subsidiaries prior to the appointment of a Nazi Verwalter.

The question is whether Shell retained any control (and legal responsibility) over the relevant Royal Dutch Shell Group companies after the Nazis appointed a Verwalter.

Following the Nazi invasion of Holland, a Nazi officer, Hauptmann Eckhardt von Klass, was named in January 1940 as Verwalter to oversee Royal Dutch and the aforementioned Bataafsche (another company within the Shell Group).

He was a former research director of Rhenania-Ossag, and, therefore, a former Shell director.

That fact suggests that although the Nazis were now overseeing the company, the change was made in an accommodating way with a Rhenania-Ossag insider being appointed to the position.

Articles in American newspapers published the month after the appointment, on 13 & 15 February 1940 said that Shell had continued to make deliveries of oil products to Germany until December 1939.

Extract from a section that appeared in both articles:

This operation caused no stir among insiders who know the background of the story. It all dates back to the operations of Sir Henri Deterding the born Hollander with a French first name, knighted by His Britannic Majesty and buried on his beloved estate in Northern Germany. Deterding sewed up the German market by substantial cash payments to the rising Nationalist party before and after they came to power.

The headquarter offices of Royal Dutch, Bataafsche, and other Shell Group companies officially moved on 10 May 1940 from The Hague to the Dutch West Indies colony of Curacao. (See official announcement by Royal Dutch Petroleum Company displayed center page – from page 30 RDSH V2).

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According to Shell’s paid historians, the Verwalter, Eckhardt von Klass, had full powers to act of behalf of the concern (Group) in occupied Europe. See page 32 RDSH V2.

The unambiguous claim of “full powers” is however undermined by the wording of this extract from page 78 of RDSH V2”:

“Meanwhile the relationship between parent company and subsidiary had to some extent been reversed by the appointment of Rhenania-Ossag’s research director as Verwalter over Bataafsche’s Amsterdam laboratory, to ensure that it would contribute to the German war effort.”

I draw attention to the phrase: “to some extent.”

It is unclear precisely what this means, but it seems that Shell did not in practice suffer a 100% loss of influence/control. Shell’s paid historians offers no information about any evidence found in the archive that led to the inclusion of this possibly highly significant phrase.

Further confirmation of a continuing special relationship between the Royal Dutch Shell Group and the Nazi regime comes from a report prepared by the British Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee entitled:

“RHENANIA OSSAG A.G. HAMBURG-GERMANY. FUELS AND LUBRICANTS”.

A team of four people from the U.S. Petroleum Administration for War and the British Ministry of Fuel and Power prepared the report.

The information it contains was gathered during a visit of the combined British/American team to the Hamburg area in October 1945.

Senior employees, including Prof. Dr. Zerbe were interviewed at Rhenania-Ossag.

One of the objectives of the investigation was to ascertain the war-time activities of Rhenania-Ossag A.G.

Shell and IG Farben are mentioned many times in the report.

The following is an extract from page 66 of the report:

In reply to a question as to why Rhenania-Ossag had not participated fully in the German development of petroleum products, it was stated that because this company was regarded as of “foreign ownership”, it was not taken into the confidence of the German Government.  Most of this development work was done either at the laboratories of the Ministries concerned or by the I.G. Farbenind. A.G. This left the laboratories of the Rhenania-Ossag free to work on problems allied to their own production.

So, although the Verwalter was said by Shell’s historians to have full control, this is further evidence that it does not appear to have been exercised in practice.

Quite clearly the Nazi regime did not consider Rhenania-Ossag to be under its absolute control, but a separate foreign owned and run entity “free to work on problems allied to their own production.”

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The fact that it was not considered safe to entrust the foreign owned company with petroleum product development plans of the German government reinforces this conclusion.

It indicates an element of autonomy at variance with the infamous dictatorial Nazi control over annexed and invaded countries.

The Nazis apparently had respect for Shell’s ownership and to some degree the independence of the Rhenania-Ossag management, which enjoyed continuity before and after WW2.

This is understandable bearing in mind that Shell, through its Nazi leadership, had saved the Nazi party when it was in a state of financial collapse and had funded it to a considerable extent in subsequent years.

After the end of World War 2, Shell rehired former management of Rhenania-Ossag involved in the forced labor programs.

I have already mentioned Robert Finn, who joined Rhenania-Ossag in 1929 and became a Nazi supporter. He was far from alone. Many employees of Royal Dutch Shell companies in Germany and the Netherlands became active Nazis. All Jewish shareholders, supervisors and employees of Rhenania-Ossag had been dismissed (in 1933).

During the war, Finn was appointed the head of the “Association for the lubricating oil supply” (ASV), helping to fuel the Nazi war machine.

The Hamburg Morning Post article published in February 2007 an informative article about Robert Finn described as “an important manager of Deutsche Shell.” According to the article, the “ASV” had to keep the wheels rolling for the “final victory” by coordinating the supply of lubricants to the Nazi forces and using “thousands of forced laborers.”

Despite this horrendous track record, Finn was allowed to re-join Shell after the war as a director of Deutsche Shell Chemie (German Shell Chemical company).

Shell was self-evidently not put off by his role as a Nazi “Big Shot.”

The controversial rededication of a sports hall first named in his honor in 1976 as “Robert Finn Hall of Eimsbütteler gymnastics federation” attracted protests and negative coverage by German news media. The coverage focused on his Nazis past, including his close association with Shell/Rhenania-Ossag.

According to a news report in March 2010, there was also concern about swastika-like symbols called “Turner crosses” on display at the sports hall.

The question of whether Shell is legally responsible for what happened at its German subsidiaries several decades ago, while the Verwalter was supposedly administering the companies on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell, is not easy to answer.

It might be impossible to arrive at any conclusion because of lack of available evidence and witnesses.

However, Shell surely has a moral obligation for the evil which took place in its name, such as the use of slave labor, bearing in mind that the leadership of Rhenania-Ossag apparently still considered that they were working for Shell and operated on that basis.

It was not done just in the name of Shell, but also using the iconic corporate logo that is as well known as the swastika.
In 1904, the scallop shell (or pecten) replaced Shell Transport’s first marketing logo. In various forms, it has remained in use ever since.

The examples of Shell logo’s used by Rhenania-Ossag from 1926 and 1935, shown center page, are both from the Wikipedia article “Rhenania-Ossag.”

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Some information about the pecten is taken from shell.com.

There is further information within a downloadable document – “The History of the Shell emblem” – in which this valid claim appears:

“The Shell emblem – or Pecten – remains one of the greatest brand symbols of the 20th Century”

The authors of this judiciously selected online history neglected to mention the Nazi association with the pecten.

screen-shot-2016-10-29-at-14-41-20The Nazis continued to use the Shell logo in Germany after the appointment of a Verwalter for Rhenania-Ossag in January 1940.

It was used by Rhenania-Ossag in the years before, during and after WW2. Including the entire period when Shell was in partnership with IG Farben.

A number of Rhenania-Ossag products are shown, all displaying Shell branding.

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Likewise a Rhenania-Ossag petrol station and an advertisement from the March/April 1941 issue of Der Ring, the house magazine of Rhenania-Ossag.

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According to the red text, beneath the advert, Rhenania-Ossag still used the pecten logo after January 1940, “under German control.”

Shell has never apologized for the acts of appeasement and use of forced labor that took place in Nazi Germany under Shell’s name and logo at Shell premises, which always remained the property of Shell.

Royal Dutch Shell is legally and morally responsible for alleged forced labor at Rhenania-Ossag before the appointment of a Verwalter.  Unfortunately most, if not all victims are probably deceased.

Some might argue that Shell is morally responsible for what took place on Shell premises under the Shell brand by Shell’s Nazi managers, some of whom were rehired by Shell after WW2 e.g. Robert Finn.

SAMPLE CHAPTER ENDS

John Donovan, Royal Dutch Shell Plc.com

John Donovan, Royal Dutch Shell Plc.com

The ebook by John Donovan (right) can be purchased via Amazon websites around the world. Chapter headings are listed below. The introduction and some sample Chapters are accessible via the hyperlinks provided.

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTERS

  1. The best historians Shell could buy
  2. News story February 2015: Shell ship named after a Nazi SS Officer
  3. Royal Dutch Shell and the Nazis
  4. Media coverage of Sir Henri Deterding’s Death
  5. The Nazi Funeral of Royal Dutch Shell leader Sir Henri Deterding
  6. Great friend of the Germans
  7. You Can Be Sure of Shell
  8. Royal Dutch Shell Anti-Semitism
  9. Deterding’s support for Nazi Stormtroopers
  10. Shell support for the Nazis continued after the retirement of Sir Henri as leader
  11. Shell collaborated in the Nazi annexation of Austria and occupation of Czechoslovakia
  12. Shell’s notorious business partner: IG Farben
  13. Royal Dutch Shell and Nazi slave labor
  14. Control of Royal Dutch Shell companies in Nazi-occupied Europe
  15. Nazi connections relating to Shell
  16. Shell historians attempt to distance Deterding from Hitler
  17. Why does it still matter?
  18. Time for a rare public apology from Shell?
  19. Key Dates
  20. Shell cloak and dagger activities
  21. Wikipedia: The sanitization of Shell’s history
  22. Authors unique connection with Shell

Index of Shell leadership financial support for the Nazis

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

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